The Arizona Cardinals have elected to protect four practice squad players in Week 4, according to the NFL transaction report on Tuesday. Not included on this list is recently added cornerback Quinton Dunbar.
His signing did not become official until Wednesday after the Cardinals made their selections.
The four players they are protecting this week, keeping other teams from being able to sign them, are the following:
- S Chris Banjo
- T Eric Smith
- TE Ross Travis
- S James Wiggins
Banjo has been elevated to the active roster each of the last two weeks and likely will be again this week when the Cardinals take on the Rams. He is a core special teams player, and his presence is more important with the loss of safety Charles Washington, who was placed on injured reserve.
Smith’s protection is surely related to the injury of Kelvin Beachum. His availability is in doubt with a rib injury that kept him out of the last game and a half.
Wiggins might be elevated to replace Washington. Washington is one of the Cardinals’ gunners on the punt team. Wiggins got work as a punt gunner in training camp and in the preseason.
He was one of the Cardinals’ draft picks this year, getting selected in the seventh round out of Cincinnati.
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